Massage

Foot Massage

Feet put up with a lot and need some attention, not only will it feel great and relieve stress and tension, but it will help with proper knee alignment, hip and lower back placement. So keep your feet happy and your whole body will thank you, you will find your feet connect to a myriad of pleasure centers. It is important to remember acupuncturists all say these points are all connected to a good many, seemingly unrelated, aspects of your health.

So get your partner to bath their feet (as feet do stink) and reward their poor feet with some hands on attention. With all they do for you, it helps to keep them in good shape with some tender loving care.

Circulation

Because of all the pressure on your feet circulation can be impaired, so start your massage by getting the blood flowing back into them. Blood is what brings all the nutrients that our muscles need.

So warm up your partner to your touch by grasping the bottom of the foot with one hand and lightly stroke the top with the other. When you switch to the bottom of the foot, gently hold the ankle with one hand and apply as much pressure as they are comfortable with on the bottom of the foot while you stroke it from toe to heel, you will find you can actually put a good amount of force into the stroke but as always what your partner wants is more important. Continue rubbing and stroking your partners foot with ten strokes to the top and then ten strokes to the bottom, and then repeating so you can get them warmed up.

The Ankle Rotation

Even the army knows how important this is, remember, the goal is not to stretch the ankle, just rotate it.

Start by taking the bottom of their foot in hand, letting the arch of their foot rest on your palm, and slowly rotate the foot in an circular motion. As you do this you should find your partners range of motion increases slightly. Only move the foot as far as the ankle permits and stop if your hear any grinding or crackling. Rotate the foot five times in each direction.

The Foot to the Ankle Stroke

Start with your fingertips where the toes meet the foot (gently pulling the toes or gently squeezing the skin between the toes are great transitional from this too), and then press down with both hands between the bones of the foot, slowly sliding up towards the ankles. You can also press, release, move up a half inch, press release, and work your way up to the ankles like this as well. In both cases you will reach their ankle, and then wrap your fingers around the ankle and massage the front of the ankle joint with your thumbs.

The ankle is loaded with joints, tendons and ligaments so be easy as you try to massage the muscle tissue you do find with soft to strong (partners preference) kneading.

The Foot Flex

For this you will put the palms of your hands on both sides of your partners foot, and then apply gentle pressure as you push your hands together to flex their foot. Remember to use your thumbs to massage the top of their foot and give some good attention to the muscle between the bones with your thumbs. While your flex a foot you can also massage the bottom or sole of the foot with your finger tips.

The Toe Pull

When you do this, make sure you don't pull to hard, jut enough that you feel the bones "give". But doing this will give the toes a feeling of freedom and mobility and will help your partner feel rejuvenated. Try this with a warm water foot bath (Epson salts will do wonders here). Remember, the point of pulling the toes is not to hear them pop, if they do that is fine but don't force them to.

Soul Searching

Be it the end or beginning, the sole is a great place to pay attention to, so have your partner lay where they can flip onto their stomach or back as desired, and place your partners foot on your knee or prop it up with some pillows under it.

Use your fingers on the top of the foot, hands on the side and thumbs on the bottom of the foot, and with your thumbs make a circular motion as you try and massage the whole bottom of the foot. You will probably need to move your hands up and down the foot (changing your grip) so you can do this, and as you go find out what spots are the most tense and give them extra attention.

Once you finish with their feet, go back and give more attention to areas that are sore or in pain, this will help flush out the stored up toxins and lactic acid (which is why it is sore or hurts), you may want to pay special attention to the ball of the foot, the arch, or around the ankles. But as always communication is key in a massage and this is no different, so talk to them and ask questions (remind them to ask "does that feel good?").

Foot Bath

Heat is your best friend when treating muscle injuries or giving a massage and a warm water bath with Epson salts is a great way to start. Use google, someone in the area has them, probably your local grocery store, or health and beauty spas and may even have salts designed for the foot. Some warm water mixed with the right oils or salts can loosen muscles, soothe the skin, and relax the mind. Let them soak for at least five minutes so the foot is good and warm and relaxed.

Filing the Foot (calluse removale)

A Callus is a hard compacted patch of dead skin, in the past this helped protect out feet because we didn't have shoes, now days filing this off is the better option as it can hurt if you leave it. So Soak your feet and the use a large pumice stone to remove the calloused skin and dirt which can get imbedded in the skin. This will help you even out your gait, reduce calluses and prevent cracking. As any soldier will tell you, take care of your feet, and they will take care of you.